Crafted by New York bronzesmith Chris Levatino, this replica bronze sword is based on a weapon found in Britain. Although it is based on a British find, this leaf-shaped design with cut-outs that allow for a wooden grip to be riveted to the tang was a common design throughout Celtic Bronze Age Europe.

Entirely cast from a single piece of bronze, this Bronze Age sword can be kept in its current state, looking akin to many of the swords now in museums that have their bronze well intact, but their organic material wood or bone hilts having long since rotted away. The sword could be fitted with a carved grip by the purchaser, making this a good project sword for a crafty customizer who wants to create their own grip and pommel.

The archeological record is littered with bronze weapons which are surprisingly abundant thanks to the anti-corrosive properties of bronze. The best preserved ones could be sharpened and used today, as was the ‘’relatively’’ recent case of an ancient bronze sword that was wielded by a combatant in the United Irishman Rebellion of 1789!

Unlike iron and steel, bronze weapons were solid cast from earthen molds. Being softer than iron and steel, bronze blades need a thick central ridge or spine to impart as much rigidity as possible and minimize blade warping. From this thick spine, the blade rapidly tapers to a thin and keen edge.

Bronze weapons are deceptively sophisticated however - a good craftsman can ‘’harden’’ the blade edge whilst retaining the softer, unaltered core of the bronze, giving the blade properties similar to the ‘’differential hardening’’ that is most famously exhibited on traditionally made katanas. The katana, typically has a softer core and hardened edges to give the blade a shock absorbing core and a hard, sharp edge. A good bronzesmith can ‘’differentially harden’’ his blade by hammering its edges repeatedly and condensing the bronze material. This flattening makes the bronze edge dense, hard and gives it a more keen and surprisingly sharp edge. The unaltered, softer bronze core of the blade gives it shock absorbing properties. Bronze blades were rarely longer in length than what would typically be deemed ‘’short swords’’ - the longer a bronze blade is, the more easily it can be bent. Despite this shortcoming, a bent bronze sword can be returned to true without great difficulty.